Lynn Scarlett is a scholar at Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington D.C., one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious environmental think tanks, noted for, among other things, its pioneering work in resource economics. A former deputy U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Scarlett is co-drector of the RFF's Center for the Management of the Ecological Wealth. She is an expert on subjects such as climate change adaptation and ecosystem services. She holds a master's degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Judy Poferl is president and CEO of the Northern States Power Company-Minnesota division of Xcel Energy. Poferl has more than two decades of experience in energy and energy regulation. She serves on the board of directors of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minneapolis Downtown Council. She holds masters degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

James Hamilton is a professor of economics at University of California, San Diego, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The NBER is in its ninth decade of work as one of the nation's leading non-partisan providers of economic data and analysis. Based in Cambridge, Mass., the NBER has counted 19 Nobel laureates among its scholars. Hamilton is co-author of the Econbrowser, a blog that analyzes economic conditions and policies. He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Richard Morgenstern is a senior fellow at RFF and former director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the federal Environmental Protection Agency. His expertise is economic analysis of environmental issues with an emphasis on the costs, benefits, evaluation, and design of environmental policies, especially economic incentive measures. His analysis also focuses on climate change, including the design of cost-effective policies to reduce emissions in the United States and abroad. Morgenstern holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan.

Chris Farrell, a Winter Institute regular, is economics editor for American Public Media's "Marketplace Money" show. He is a contributor editor for "Bloomberg Businessweek," one of the nation's leading business magazines, and the author of "The New Frugality," a book about consuming less and saving more. Farrell is a winner of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for oustanding achievement in electronic journalism. He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Stanford University.

The first day of the conference, at the Best Western Kelly Inn, downtown St. Cloud, includes an economic outlook panel. Joining keynoter Hamilton on the panel will be Wells Fargo senior economist Scott Anderson, St. Cloud State economics professor King Banaian and Steve Hine, director of the state Labor Market Information Office.

Also on Feb. 29 will be a business panel on "Going Green: The Whys and Hows." Sponsored by the Initiative Foundation and the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, the business panel will feature regional business leaders.

March 1 events are in Atwood Memorial Center and Ritsche Auditorium. View the Campus Map.

Free and open to the public are the speeches by Scarlett, Hamilton and Morgenstern, and the two panel discussions.

The Winter Institute is managed by these St. Cloud State entities: Department of Economics, Center of Continuing Studies, the School of Public Affairs and Student Government. External sponsors include the Initiative Foundation, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and the St. Cloud Times.